The establishment of a jail facility in a given location is an inherently controversial undertaking. Few communities want to have a prison near their environs. Thus, when a site has been chosen, one method of allaying a community's fears is to emphasize the ability of the jail facility to be easily dismantled or relocated when the need for its services no longer exists.
Many prisons have been judicially determined to be overcrowded. In order to comply with court imposed conditions, governmental bodies have been forced to find relatively quick means by which such overcrowding can be alleviated. Thus, it has become crucial for the construction industry to provide for the accelerated creation of additional jail space on new or existing prison sites.
Finally, as older prisons deteriorate to the point of uninhabitability, their replacement and/or repair becomes necessary. This results in a need for jail facilities which can be put into use expeditiously. Thus, the inexpensive establishment of facilities which are capable of serving as either temporary or permanent facilities is extremely desirable.
Efforts have been made to address the above problems by the development of "modular" jail systems. Such systems generally rely on pre-fabricated cells or cell components which can be combined at a selected site to create or augment an operational prison facility. At least three types of modular jail systems are generally available: pre-cast concrete, trailers and steel cellular.
Pre-cast concrete systems use pre-formed, finished or unfinished concrete cells which are arranged on-site. The cells may be finished at the site and appropriate fixtures added. Finally, a roof and other elements are added to complete the jail facility. Alternatively, they may be installed in an existing or new building.
Pre-cast concrete systems have several drawbacks: they take a relatively long time to construct; they require a significant amount of on-site fabrication; they are extremely heavy, thereby requiring substantial support structure; and they are subject to deterioration caused by human and natural elements.
Trailer systems employ cell units (one or multiple cells) which are completely pre-assembled. These units are typically deployed outdoors within a secure perimeter. If the jail facility is to be an indoor facility, the trailers must be brought into a building built to the appropriate security standards and anchored in place.
Trailer systems are, by their nature, temporary installations. While they can quickly be placed into service, they cannot be satisfactorily used in high inmate population situations (in part because they cannot be readily deployed in multiple levels) and because of the difficulty in integrating them to the ancillary areas required for a full detention facility. Finally, trailers require substantial maintenance to remain habitable and secure over time, primarily due to their typically flimsy construction.
Steel cellular systems, such as the Mark Cellular System, provide a cost effective, quickly established, low maintenance alternative to other modular systems. The cells of these systems are totally pre-fabricated. On-site, they are simply secured in position. Either a building is built to surround the cells or a roof is mounted directly on them. The low weight, resistance to corrosion and the flexibility provided by a steel cellular system overcome many of the problems associated with the pre-cast concrete and trailer options.
While steel cellular systems are generally superior to other modular systems, they are not without their own drawbacks. For example, as noted above, these systems require that either a complete building be constructed to house the cells or a roof be erected directly on the modules. In the latter case, no structure remains when the cell modules are removed. In the former case, the building must be substantially dismantled when the cell modules are removed or made overly large to accommodate a temporary entryway/exitway. Still further, when cells are used within a secondary building, dead space is created between the walls of the cells and the walls of the building. This is a potential security problem since prisoners may be able to secrete themselves or other things in that dead space.